Mystery, action, romance, suspense and eerie surprises permeate Thompson's newest presentation. His hero, Harry Monmouth, is in trouble - big trouble. He's a nice young man whom no one - including Harry - takes very seriously. When his girlfriend, Alexis Bradford, announces his impending fatherhood, his marriage proposal is met with a lukewarm response, and the baby's future is in doubt. In his effort to win Alex over, he opens a door to the past that threatens to destroy him. He discovers the systematic misery imposed on New Hope's less fortunate citizens, and uncovers larceny of monumental proportions. At the same time, a botched abortion leads to trumped-up murder charges, a mystery that divides his little college town. Indifferent before, his personal circumstances compel him to join the fray, a decision with far-reaching consequences.Gods and Lesser Men is the tale of a man's journey from carefree days to extraordinary burdens. The things that have sustained him - family and place - have become problematic. Painful truths are told. The sins of the father - and the mother - are visited upon the child, and Harry's struggle to overcome them is a story as old as humanity.